D.C. Election Performance Index Still Poor, But Improving

SILVER SPRING, MD - NOVEMBER 02: "I Voted" stickers are seen at a polling station as voters participate in early voting November 2, 2012 at the Silver Spring Civic Building in Silver Spring, Maryland. There is record turnout for early voting which was originally scheduled from last Sunday through yesterday, but was disrupted by Hurricane Sandy and has been extended through today. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

LANHAM, Md. (WNEW) — D.C.’s “elections performance index” is still fairly poor compared with other states, but is improving, according to recently released data from The Pew Charitable Trust.

D.C. ranks 40th out of 51, with an EPI of just 62 percent. In comparison, the highest ranking state, North Dakota, has an EPI of 86 percent.

Neighboring Maryland and Virginia are ranked 7th and 19th, with EPIs of 76 percent and 71 percent, respectively.

A state’s EPI takes several factors into account, including voter turnout, waiting times at the polls and the voter registration rate.

One of the outstanding shortcomings in the District is the fact that the city has the second longest average voter wait times in the country (33.9 minutes), second only to Florida.

Neighboring Maryland and Virginia didn’t fare much better in that category. Voters in those states waited an average of 29.2 and 23.6 minutes to vote in 2012.

The District’s rate of disability or illness-related voting problems was the highest of any state in 2012, at 25 percent. That’s based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s survey asking nonvoters why they did not submit a ballot.

D.C. also had a particularly poor showing with its rate of unreturned mail ballots — 28 percent. It came in second only to California’s 29 percent.

D.C.’s voter registration rate, however, was the best in the country in 2012, at 92 percent. The District also saw its EPI average rise 20 percentage points from 2008 to 2012, more than any of the 50 states.

Courtney Pomeroy works as a Web Content Editor at All-News 99.1 WNEW and CBSDC.com.
Raised in nearby Howard County, she opted to attend the University of Maryland, College Park for the in-state tuition. The prestigious journalism program didn’...